What If You & Me by Roni Loren

Chapter Six

Hill tensed when Andi looped her arms around his neck and pressed her face into his shoulder, her choking sobs putting little cracks in the armor he usually maintained when victims were upset. It did no one any good in a bad situation if the person there to help got emotionally swept up as well. But Andi’s entire body was trembling against him, and he wanted to scoop her up, hold her, and assure her that he wasn’t going to let anything happen to her, that she was safe with him.

But he had a feeling that when her panic eased, she was going to quickly remember who she was clinging to. He wasn’t going to make this even weirder for her by giving in to that urge to hold her. He put a hand on her back and tried to calm her as best he could.

He could hear the sirens blaring out front, and he informed the 911 operator that the cops were here and ended the call. The siren turned off, blue and red lights flashing through the front window. Hill listened as the officers walked up the porch steps, the wood creaking, and then as they called out to anyone who was inside Andi’s half. He could hear them as they inspected the other side of the duplex, knowing they wouldn’t find anyone. If someone had broken in, they were long gone by now unless they were the dumbest criminal who ever lived. When the knock on his door finally came, Andi startled and lifted her head, her cheeks tear-streaked and eyes puffy.

He brushed her hair away from her face. “It’s okay. It’s the police. I’m going to get that.”

Her gaze darted toward the front door. “How do you know it’s them?”

“I heard them search the other side. Plus, I’ll probably recognize them. I know most of the cops in this precinct. Stay right here, okay?”

She didn’t look ready to let him go, but finally, she released him. She shifted to the corner of the couch and pulled her knees up to her chest, hugging them to her. Only then did he notice that all she was wearing was an oversize T-shirt and boy-short panties. He glanced at the door and then back to her. “Down the hall, in my bedroom, there’s a basket of clean laundry next to the bed. You can borrow some shorts if you want.”

She glanced down as if just noticing her state of undress for herself, and she hurriedly put her feet to the floor, clearly self-conscious. “Oh, yeah, thanks.”

He gave her a second to head toward the bedroom, and then he went to the door. He checked the peephole, recognizing the face on the other side.

Of course. Fucking hell.

He took a fortifying breath and pulled open the door, schooling his face into one of mild impassivity. Officer Christina Morton was standing there, not a blond hair out of place in her tight braid, and her partner, Ben Brody, was by her side. Christina scanned Hill quickly with the cool detachment of an officer checking for injuries. If anyone had been watching, they never would’ve suspected he and Christina had been engaged once upon a time. That he used to unfurl that braid with rough fingers when they’d fall into bed. That she used to see him as irresistible.

“You all right, Dawson?” she asked, tone like a surgical knife—pointed, precise.

He wanted to reply, In the grand scheme of things? No, not even a little bit. But no way would he ever let Christina know he was living anything but his best life.

“Yeah. Everyone’s fine. Neighbor ran over here, said her back door was open and she knows she locked it. She thought someone was inside,” he said, matching Christina’s businesslike tone. “I would’ve gone over and checked it out, but she was pretty upset and didn’t feel safe being left alone.”

“Understandable,” Brody said in that genial way Brody said everything. If he were cast in a police drama, he’d always land the role of Good Cop.

Hill cocked his head toward Andi’s side of the house. “Did y’all find anything over there?”

“No, the place is clear. Didn’t see any damage or anything,” Ben reported. “Can we come in?”

Hill took a step back and opened the door wide to let them inside. Christina’s gaze scanned the room, no doubt critiquing Hill’s sparse decorating style, which mostly involved buying nothing extra because it would only be extra shit to clean. When they’d lived together, she’d always been in charge of how their place looked, and she’d never met a farm-inspired tchotchke she didn’t like. He’d lived in a place full of cows and chickens staring at him from every available surface. It’d nearly made him a vegetarian. Her gaze moved back to him. “Where’s the neighbor?”

“I—”

But before Hill could get the words out, Brody’s head turned as he caught sight of Andi coming out of Hill’s bedroom. He gave her a warm smile. “Hello, ma’am, you okay?”

Hill turned. Andi’s eyes were still swollen, but she’d dried her face, and she was now wearing a pair of his athletic shorts cinched up tight. Andi hugged her elbows and nodded. “I’m freaked out but all right.”

“Why don’t you sit down and tell us what happened?” Christina said in her calming cop voice.

They all settled into the living room, Andi taking the spot next to Hill on the couch, and Christina and Ben taking the chairs opposite. Andi tucked her hands between her knees, and he suspected she was trying to hide the fact that she was still trembling. Without thinking, he reached out and gave her knee a squeeze. “It’s okay.”

Christina cleared her throat, and he quickly moved his hand away.

Andi licked her lips. “Um, I was in my living room working—editing a podcast. I’d been doing that for at least an hour. I had headphones on, and when I took them off, I thought I heard something.”

“What did you hear?” Brody asked, his notebook out.

Andi frowned, a little wrinkle appearing between her brows as she looked down, obviously replaying the incident in her head. “A thump at first. Not super loud but enough to get my attention. Then creaking. I thought my screen door had come unlatched and was blowing in the wind. My phone was in the kitchen, so I grabbed my pepper spray and went to the back of the house. I figured I was overreacting, but when I peeked in, I saw that my back door was wide open. I ran out the front of the house and banged on Hill’s door since I didn’t have my phone, and I know he stays up late.”

Christina glanced Hill’s way, then back to Andi. “Did you see anyone in your kitchen?”

Andi shook her head and then met Christina’s gaze. “No, but I could feel someone there, if that makes sense.”

Christina’s brows rose. “Feel someone there?”

Andi rubbed her palms on her knees. “I don’t know. I know that seems weird, but that feeling of someone else being there. A presence. Maybe I smelled an unfamiliar scent or felt the air shift. Something my subconscious picked up. It was a…sense of not being alone.”

“A presence?” Christina asked, her mouth lifting at one corner. “Maybe this old place is haunted.”

Andi pressed her lips together, obviously not appreciating Chris’s little joke. “I doubt a ghost can unlock a door.”

Hill noticed that Andi the horror writer didn’t outright deny the possibility of ghosts being real, but he was happy to see that little spark of feistiness back. An irritated Andi was better than a terrified one.

“Okay,” Christina said, letting her smirk drop. “Are you sure the back door was locked?”

“Absolutely,” Andi said without hesitation. “I never leave any doors or windows unlocked. I’m really careful about that.”

“Never?” Christina asked, skepticism in her voice. “It’s easy to forget sometimes.”

“She’s a horror writer and researches true crime,” Hill said, cutting Chris off. “She knows to lock her doors.”

Christina’s attention slid to him, giving him a discerning look. “So you two know each other well?”

He held the eye contact, playing poker. “Well enough.”

“Hill’s right,” Andi said, not catching the tension in the exchange. “Some people may forget to lock their doors. I don’t. My friends would tell you that I don’t err on the side of caution. I err on the side of paranoid. That door was locked. It’s my habit to check them at night, especially when I know I’m going to be under headphones.”

“Right. Well. There was no sign of forced entry,” Christina said. “Lock was intact. No splintered wood or marks on the frame. Maybe someone used a key.”

“Do you have a friend or boyfriend who has an extra key?” Brody asked, hooking his ankle over his knee and leaning back. “Or anyone who’d have access to one of your extras that they could’ve swiped?”

Andi rubbed her forehead beneath the curtain of her bangs, looking exhausted. “No. I haven’t lived there long. I have the only key.”

“What about the landlord?” Brody asked.

Hill shifted on the couch. “I’m the landlord. I didn’t unlock her door.”

Andi’s head snapped his way, a flash of shock there.

“Someone could have jimmied the lock without showing signs of force,” Hill said. “These locks are pretty old. I was already planning on getting them replaced.”

“Possible.” Brody jotted down something in his notebook. “Or maybe the door didn’t latch all the way and the wind knocked it open. We’d like to have Miss…”

“Lockley,” Andi supplied.

“We’d like to have Miss Lockley do a walk-through with us, make sure nothing is missing,” Brody said.

Andi tensed. “Are you sure you checked everywhere?”

“Of course.” Christina smiled empathetically, suddenly looking like the woman Hill used to love. “We secured it before coming over here. You’re safe to go back.”

Andi took a shaky breath. “Okay. I can do a walk-through. Can you come with us, Hill?”

The plea in her eyes did something to him. God, he wanted to take that fear out of her. Andi was one of those people painted in bright colors. Bright-red hair. Big blue eyes. Thick black eyeliner. Bright bold lipstick. Brash attitude. Seeing her scared and pale seemed like a crime against sunshine or something. “Sure. We’ll all go. We won’t leave you alone until you feel safe.”

She rolled her lips together and nodded.

He stood and put his hand out to help her up. She took it, but when he went to release her, she held on tight, sending a silent message. He squeezed her hand and kept hold of her. I’ve got you.

The exchange didn’t go unnoticed by his ex.

Part of him wanted to make a show of it. Put his arm around Andi like, Yes, this bright, beautiful woman is with me—even if it was a lie. But he knew Christina wouldn’t be jealous anyway. She was happily involved with Josh Matterhorn, the guy she’d left him for. The fellow firefighter who’d pulled Hill out of a burning building the night he’d lost his leg. The guy who used to be one of his closest friends.

The ghost of his old life rolled through Hill, and he had to breathe through the pain it stirred up. His relationship with Christina was dead. His relationship with Josh was dead. His leg was gone. His career was gone. The man he used to be didn’t exist anymore.

He could see that reality every time Christina looked at him. The man she’d wanted to marry had died in that accident. All that was left now was the echo of who he used to be. A cheap imitation with missing parts.

Andi squeezed his hand, bringing him back to the moment, and he sent her a silent thank-you.

They all made their way over to the neighboring side, and Andi went room by room, staying close to Hill. She was supposed to be checking for missing items, but he could tell she was more focused on checking every closet and every nook where a person could hide.

Christina had pointed out Andi’s big stack of horror DVDs and her shelves of scary novels and true-crime books. “Not into the lighthearted, Ms. Lockley?”

“Horror’s my job,” Andi had said, a little bite to the words. When they made it back to the kitchen, Andi let out an audible breath. “I don’t see anything missing. Maybe I scared them off before they could get anything.”

“Or maybe you just spooked yourself,” Christina said in an offhanded tone. “It happens. I know when I watch scary stuff, I hear noises that aren’t there.”

“Chris—” Hill started to call her out on the patronizing tone, but Andi got there first.

“I know what I heard,” Andi said, tone polite but sharp. “I know what I felt. And I didn’t imagine my door being open.”

Brody nodded and jotted a few more notes. “If someone did get in, they probably didn’t have long. Your phone’s right there by the fridge. That would’ve been an easy grab. Your purse was out front. You either scared them off or the door wasn’t latched correctly.”

“Or someone was breaking in to do something worse than theft,” Andi said grimly. “I’m a woman living alone.”

The thought of some creep sneaking around Andi’s place made Hill’s fingers clench into fists. “I’ll have the locks changed and get an extra dead bolt installed in the morning.”

Brody snapped his notebook shut. “Yeah. An extra dead bolt is never a bad idea—maybe an alarm, too.” He put his hand out to Andi. “Ms. Lockley, you let us know if you find anything missing or see anything suspicious.”

“I will. Thank you,” Andi said, her face drawn and tired as she shook Brody’s hand and then Christina’s. “I appreciate y’all checking everything out.”

“Of course,” Christina said.

Brody smiled a genial smile. “The good news is you have Dawson living next door.” He clapped Hill on the shoulder. “So even though it doesn’t feel that way right now, you’re probably in the safest house on the block. He can be a grumpy dude, but I’d trust this guy to have my back any day.”

Hill snorted.

Andi’s gaze slid Hill’s way. “Yeah, I was lucky to have him here tonight.”

“I was glad to help,” he said, meaning it. “Anytime.”

Christina and Brody said their goodbyes, and Hill walked them out, stepping outside on the porch with them for a moment, closing the door behind himself. Brody glanced out at the darkened street. “We did have a break-in not too far from here last month, about four blocks over. Took a laptop and an Xbox. If there was someone here tonight, my guess is it’s something like that. Probably thought no one was home and could make a quick grab.”

“I’m going to get an alarm installed,” Hill said.

Christina crossed her arms. “I don’t know. If someone were here to steal, they would’ve taken the phone at least. Your neighbor seems like a sweet enough girl, but I think she freaked herself out. All that horror shit will make you jumpy.” She cocked a brow. “Or maybe she just wanted to knock on your door in the middle of the night. She looks like she could be a bit of a drama queen—you know, with the hair and the nose ring and all.”

Hill scoffed. “A drama queen?”

Christina had always been particularly tough on women who showed a lot of emotion. She’d been raised with brothers and thought an ironclad poker face was next to godliness. Andi’s unedited, messy reactions wouldn’t compute for her.

Christina shrugged. “She seems like someone who would enjoy being the center of attention. The whole damsel-in-distress routine, you know?”

Hill’s jaw clenched. “Andi thought someone had broken into her house. I think she has the right to be dramatic over that. She didn’t leave her door unlocked. She’s the careful type. She was legitimately terrified.”

Brody ran a hand over the back of his neck. “Yeah, the lady looks scared. Go talk to her and reassure her she’s safe. And if anything turns up missing, tell her to give us a call.”

“Will do.” Hill shook Brody’s hand. “Thanks for coming out.”

“Anytime.”

Christina nodded instead of offering a handshake. Fine by him.

When Hill went back inside, Andi was standing in the middle of her living room, arms hugged to her chest, looking around like she was in a foreign place.

He ran a hand over the back of his head. “You okay?”

Andi turned to him, posture tight, guarded. “That female officer thought I was imagining things.” Her chin tipped up. “I’m not. This isn’t me creating scary stories. That door was locked. Someone who was not me opened it.”

He sighed. “I know. I believe you.”

Her shoulders drooped like her puppet strings had been cut. “You do?”

“Yeah. I know that feeling of someone being there even when you can’t see them yet. I’m sure Christina does, too. Cops rely on all those senses and instincts in dangerous situations.” He glanced back at the closed front door. “Don’t worry too much about her. It wasn’t about you. She was in a bad mood because I was here.”

Andi lifted her brows. “Why’s that? She have something against firefighters?”

“Just one.” He double-checked that the door was locked, giving it a tug to make sure the lock caught, before turning back to her. “We used to be engaged.”

Her lips parted. “Oh. Wow. Awkward.”

“Can be.” He shifted his weight off his prosthesis, his knee aching. “Do you need anything? I’ll call a locksmith in the morning, and I’ll get an alarm put in as soon as I can get someone out here.”

She leaned against the back of the couch. “Why didn’t you tell me you owned the place?”

He shrugged. “I use a management company for the rental properties I own. I didn’t want you to feel like you had to be on your toes around me or something because I’m the landlord.”

She twisted the string of the athletic shorts she’d borrowed. “Thanks for helping me tonight. I’m not sure what I would’ve done if you hadn’t opened your door.”

“You can always knock on my door,” he said, shoving his hands in the pockets of his sweats and stepping closer. “Honestly.”

Her mouth ticked up at the corner. “Even though you’ve been avoiding me since I barged in on you with brownies?”

He frowned. “I haven’t been avoiding you.”

She tilted her head, a wry look on her face.

He let out a breath. “Okay, maybe I have a little. It’s not about you. I’m just…”

“Not a social butterfly. I get it. You won’t be the first or the last to avoid my chatter. I can be hell on introverts.” She gave a little smile. “But I’m willing to forgive you for this avoidance because you opened the door and were my hero tonight.”

He shook his head. “Not a hero. Only a neighbor. You would’ve done the same for me, I’m sure.”

“Oh, of course.” She laughed and put up her fists like she was ready to box. “I’d totes protect my giant werewolf neighbor from the bad guys. They’d cower in terror at the mere sight of me.”

Something tense released in his shoulders. It was hard to stay serious when Andi was shadowboxing in his oversize shorts. “Your werewolf neighbor?”

A little color came back into her cheeks as she put her arms down, and a flash of guilt crossed her face. “You know. Bearded, stomps around late at night, hides from humans.”

He groaned and rubbed the spot between his eyes. “You’re going to murder me in a book, aren’t you?”

“Ha. No, you’re safe,” she said. “As long as you promise not to attack me when the full moon comes around. Or any moon phase for that matter.”

Hill nodded. “Deal.”

They stared at each other for a few quiet seconds, and he cleared his throat. “Uh, do you need anything before I head out? I’m sure you’re ready to get to sleep.”

She glanced at the front door, and the light in her eyes dimmed again, as if remembering why he was there in the first place. “I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep—possibly for the rest of my life now. But you’re relieved of your duties. Thank you again.”

He caught the waver in her voice, the anxiety there. She was putting on a brave face, but she was clearly still petrified. “I could stay.”

The words came out before he could evaluate them and declare them certifiably insane. I could stay? What the hell?

Abort. Abort. Abort.